http://www.chow.com/boards/23 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:53:21 GMT Keep track of the lastest threads on Chowhound http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845494#7342271 Ohhh but LG's gooey ones are the best ! Closest thing Toronto has to the world's best Levain cookie. PoppiYYZ Wed, 16 May 2012 12:22:49 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845494#7342271 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849477#7342199 Read a fascinating article about the resurgence of traditional Maple Syrup Beer (or Sap Beer) in Vermont. Anyone know if any Ontario Microbreweries are making it ? http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/15/152694105/vermont-beer-makers-bring-back-old-time-maple-sap-brews?ft=1&f=1053 PoppiYYZ Wed, 16 May 2012 11:05:19 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849477#7342199 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842954#7342175 Did I mention Hammersmith's bean and watercress? Simple but wonderful flavours! Spring salad at Caffe Doria - arugula, avacado, cucumber and reggiano and perfectly matched vinegeratte. Addictive! 7 Numbers arugula salad with goat cheese and roasted peppers millygirl Wed, 16 May 2012 10:23:41 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/842954#7342175 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848138#7342174 my pleasure, i'm glad you enjoyed it as much as we do ingloriouseater Wed, 16 May 2012 10:15:24 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848138#7342174 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849115#7342099 I would care about their cooking if they were actually executing it. I miss Rain and Ame food. I will have to look into Acer is it? samuek Wed, 16 May 2012 07:04:01 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849115#7342099 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/830092#7342093 So commenting on the food is cool, but expound on the amatuer at best service FellowEater Wed, 16 May 2012 06:49:18 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/830092#7342093 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849471#7342088 To start, I took advantage of a BYOW, $5 corkage on a Tuesday night....came in to dine with 2 bottles of white('10 Sibling Rivalry White, Speck Bros.which i think is a decent palatable white, price is nice still!!!) and a bottle of red(('05 Cline Cellars Zinfandel, readily available at the liquor mongering LCBO(fair price though $13 an change...)), to have an enjoyable night out out with some family friends. We weren't disappointed. The group, we, us, shared the mussels($10), charcuterie($14), steak tartare($13) and the beet salad($9) to start. The mussels were awesome, we ended up asking our server for a another order before our mains, and the charcuterie was extremely fresh. House cured duck prosciutto and and duck liver mousse stood out. The pork rilettes was okay, but could hardly taste the rich duck fat that it was supposedly cooked in before it was turned into a paste and shredded(probably due to the fact that it seemed like it came right out of the fridge)Our server was nice enough to get us some baguette, to finish our platter, as the four baguette crisps were hardly adequate to eat the whole charcuterie platter. The beet salad was exactly what you would expect, roasted red, white, and yellow beets, with some orange, goat cheese,frisee and arugala. Sherry vinaigrette was purposefully placed on top with some sea salt sprinkled over the beets(nice touch) and crispy beet strands for a garnish, very pretty.Tasty too!! For mains, we sampled the short rib bourguignon($24), duck confit($22), trout($22), and lamb shank($19). All entrees were very satisfying, especially the trout, done in a rich amandine sauce and the lamb shank. We skipped dessert, opting for some lemoncella instead, even though the sticky toffee pudding and the creme caramel sounded delicious. All in all, a fantastic night out!!!! Would invite family and friends out again for an evening of fun on any given night, seems like they`ve got their s*&t together anyways. Service was excellent, even the dude with the long hair i the black shirt seemed to know what was going on. Will be back, entirely satisfied....... FellowEater Wed, 16 May 2012 06:36:47 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849471#7342088 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849355#7342073 For reference, here's a meal I had at Casa Victoria last year. Not sure which set we got or how much it cost. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42140802@N08/sets/72157624034258469/ Notorious P.I.G. Wed, 16 May 2012 06:17:15 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849355#7342073 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/103333#7342039 Same thing here. My spousal unit and I went a couple weeks ago, specifically for dinner. Ordered 2lbs of wings and a couple of pints. The place was busyish, but nobody else seemed to be ordering food, so the kitchen wasn't busy. It must have taken 20 minutes or more for the wings to arrive- my guess is they were hoping we'd finish our drinks and order more. When they finally showed up, the wings were dry, overcooked, and lacking flavour. We were starving by then and ate them anyway, hopeless as they were. Had high hopes for a decent neighbourhood pub. Doesn't look like this is going to be it. SpiceMustFlow Wed, 16 May 2012 05:07:15 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/103333#7342039 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/608767#7341992 This is slightly off topic but I remember when I was little, around 15 years ago, my mom used to buy boxes of mangoes from a white truck owned by some Caribbean guys. It was soooo ripe and delicious and only $1 or $2 for a whole box of 9~12 mangoes. I lived near Sherbourne Stn and they truck came by every afternoon for a few weeks every summer. Obviously this was a lo~ng time ago but just wondering, did anyone else experience something like this?? lorish Wed, 16 May 2012 04:18:22 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/608767#7341992 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848397#7341987 the food isn't horrible..i've been for a few lunches and it's standard fare...i likes all the meal salads/ sandwiches/tacos i've had there..no complaints on the food I've eaten. It's exactly what it's marketed as..a higher end chain good for groups/ after work.. burlgurl Wed, 16 May 2012 04:16:04 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848397#7341987 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849334#7341912 Come and Get It, the pop-up place at Queen & Spadina has a nice iced tea. It comes unsweetened. But they let you sweeten it yourself with a "watermelon syrup" that adds a nice subtle sweetness. num nums Wed, 16 May 2012 03:29:49 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849334#7341912 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848166#7341829 I think its around $38?! Royaljelly might confirm that?! Charles Yu Wed, 16 May 2012 02:49:48 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848166#7341829 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/591043#7341812 Just a heads up,this place is closing soon. Owner has it for sale and will probably bail on it soon.Ive eaten here a few times and found it pretty lacking. Gone downhill since the original partner left the big guy there alone. Its for sale for $79,000 so it's not making money thats for sure Vitoleone Wed, 16 May 2012 02:41:54 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/591043#7341812 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846458#7341780 'Burger obsession'? Yongeman Wed, 16 May 2012 02:33:36 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846458#7341780 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/489287#7341777 Alas, some sad news regarding Fratelli's. A fire gutted the resto last weekend. Luckily it was in the wee hours of the morning so no fatalities or injuries. A friend of mine is close to the owners and said Sal is vowing to get the place up and going again. scarberian Wed, 16 May 2012 02:32:39 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/489287#7341777 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849316#7341752 + 1 for Sidecar, Caren's Wine Bar, Le Select and Harbord Room (although I've not sat on the patio there yet, I really enjoyed the food). I also enjoy The Pilot, but have never had any food there (just drinks). jovialetr Wed, 16 May 2012 02:21:42 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849316#7341752 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/837659#7341683 It is at Bathrust and 16th, the plaza with Longos. I tried Hot... think I should try the next next level next time. And the wings were warm only. If the wings were hot enough, it might taste even hotter :D devilfoodlover Wed, 16 May 2012 01:48:03 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/837659#7341683 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845296#7341617 Japanese - Japango, Zen, Solo-Sushi Ya (Newmarket), Kaji, Hashimoto, Toshi, Kumai (Mississauga), Mye (oakville), Hiro, Maybe Edo and Ematei. But if you order california rolls, teriyaki and tempura you might as well just go to Mandarin. Omakase is the only way to know how good a chef is. samuek Wed, 16 May 2012 01:12:39 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845296#7341617 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/613131#7341477 Not a exactly restaurant, but there's a terrific tiny little Pakistani grocer that also sells some excellent prepared foods - Eastern Foods on Hurontario (just north of Dundas) in Mississauga. I was highly surprised to see Jim Leff stumble upon this nearly hidden gem in his trip to Toronto several years ago: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/100519 The shammi kebabs are maybe the best I've encountered anywhere. The biryani is decent, the parathas excellent. Nab Tue, 15 May 2012 23:54:51 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/613131#7341477 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849047#7341192 I highly suggest Motorino on Velmar Rd (just west of Weston and Rutherford). Really nice spot, Enomatic wine system, and really delicious pizza (comparable to the best in downtown TO). I also second Autostrada; besides a few service issues, the food has always been very good. To be honest, my two visits to Mastro Roberto were both not good at all.... icey Tue, 15 May 2012 21:39:21 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849047#7341192 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849259#7341124 Delivered to your door in Toronto, but not a Toronto source: http://www.bakeitpretty.com/miniature-glass-milk-bottles/ Flexitarian Tue, 15 May 2012 21:09:16 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849259#7341124 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849020#7341079 did you try the warehouse or the retail store? I got mine at the warehouse, and they did have lots at the time. http://www.mccalls.ca/itemdesc.asp?ic=12124&eq=&Tp= hopefully the link works it shows they have it on their site. Phone Number (905) 602-9622 foodie_guru Tue, 15 May 2012 20:50:43 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849020#7341079 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/697277#7341077 Ok thanks... doesn't sound like a beer destination, although my husband loves nachos, so we may try it for lunch someday. I'm with you on the price point, and if I am going that high, it probably won't be at Greenwood and Danforth. julesrules Tue, 15 May 2012 20:50:09 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/697277#7341077 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/361345#7341053 I balked at the $18 pancakes at the IHOP built into the lobby of our hotel, and instead took the advice from this thread and drove up to The Flying Saucer. For $8.99 we had eggs, sausage, ham, pancakes, toast and terrific homefries. After a night of drinking it was the perfect greasy breakfast, and waitress was a gracious lady who heated up the baby's food. John Dory Tue, 15 May 2012 20:39:18 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/361345#7341053 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783743#7341052 She had at least 20 people in line at 12:30 today.. . too long for me, but hopefully she has a good summer. julesrules Tue, 15 May 2012 20:38:49 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783743#7341052 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846837#7340866 It was really great! My friend had the prix fixe... she had the beet salad, pasta special (I can't remember what it was but she loved it and had every drop!), and the lemon tart. I had a green salad and the pissaladiere... We really enjoyed it, and I'd like to go back for brunch soon... rstuart Tue, 15 May 2012 19:26:42 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846837#7340866 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849360#7340825 There's a Nguyen Huong location at 5661 Steeles Avenue East, west of Middlefield. I've never eaten at that one, but the banh mi is pretty consistent at the Spadina shop. Yongeman Tue, 15 May 2012 19:13:39 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849360#7340825 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849336#7340450 A tip for getting a "decent" iced coffee at McDs ($1 for medium size for the summer). I order it - Half Ice (otherwise it is way too much ice), milk (instead of cream) and no sweetener (find it way too sweet). ylsf Tue, 15 May 2012 16:44:15 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849336#7340450 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/620887#7339908 I had a pretty brutal experience with www.bbqguys.com. My service was scheduled for a Tuesday, I get home from work, nothing was done. I called twice and finally got to speak to a human being, apparently their truck was broken and they could not complete the service. I can only assume their phone was broken too because no one ever thought to call me. We re-scheduled my appointment for Friday. I get home Friday and once again my BBQ was untouched. No phone calls either. I am really starting to wonder if the BBQ Guys even exist or have any trucks, or they really don't want to clean my BBQ. I would be very leery of using their on-line booking service, they seem painfully unorganized. My advice is to use a company that actually cleans BBQ's. peteless73 Tue, 15 May 2012 13:09:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/620887#7339908 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847383#7339798 Toronto Life blogs about the rash of Japanese izakaya and ramen shops opening up all over town: Yet another new izakaya on the way: Nejibee http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/restauranto/2012/05/14/nejibee-izakaya/ canmark Tue, 15 May 2012 11:24:44 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847383#7339798 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849133#7339767 We had dinner at LeSelect for the very first time on Sunday evening and loved it. The service was excellent. Attentive with the just the right amount of friendly to feel genuine and not over the top in your face. We were a party of four and all of us raved about our meals. We started on the patio with smoked pig ear salad and pate which were both very nice. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the salad which came with beautiful done du puy lentils. For dinner, 2 had steaks which were cooked as ordered, 1 had salmon and I had the boullibaise. If I had to criticize I would say it was a tad on the salty side and richer than I was expecting but good nonetheless. Others I've had came in more of a lighter tomato fennel type broth where this was a classic seafood bisque. Aside from that is was deelish and I could have licked the bowl clean. Chocolate mousse was devoured without complaints. As you'd expect, a very nice selection of wines. I can't remember how much wine we had because some had red and some had white but the bill was extremely reasonable for what we enjoyed. We all said we'd return in a heartbeat. So, I'd say go! millygirl Tue, 15 May 2012 10:30:18 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849133#7339767 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848404#7339749 We had a disappointing experience there a year ago. Alas, everyone in our family is interested in the hot dishes and breads, plus desserts, and we paid an excessive amount of money for lukewarm food and poor quality baked goods. One of our group had been avoiding wheat for some time but decided to cheat that day only to discover the bagels were, well, not worth eating. Croissants like cardboard. I wrote them a letter and nobody bothered replying. My original post is here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/680039#6746992 Full tummy Tue, 15 May 2012 09:09:30 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848404#7339749 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849235#7339547 Anyone know if they'll take reservations or its like guu's with no reservations? .alias Tue, 15 May 2012 04:21:22 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849235#7339547 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848753#7339467 Chia seeds at Bulk Barn are $13.30 a pound ($29.30 kg). They are marked GMO and organic. There is also a bin of ground chia, which I would not touch, at the same price. I can grind my own... Dean Tudor Tue, 15 May 2012 03:27:57 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848753#7339467 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847484#7339355 Randy's is outstanding. Like Chuck's, you may have to wait, but it is worth it. Take out only, but the Baltic egg bun and hand cut fries are awesome. I'm not a condiment guy, but they are home made and supposedly very good. Jocko B Tue, 15 May 2012 02:26:33 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847484#7339355 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849253#7339140 She likes fish (not seafood) and vegetarian dishes (not beef, chicken or pork). Where would be a nice place to take her. We will be in Toronto next weekend. Location not important. Will have a car. Thanks in advance. ipassgas Tue, 15 May 2012 00:38:07 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849253#7339140 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/817096#7338901 You bet! : ) magic Mon, 14 May 2012 22:25:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/817096#7338901 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848972#7338671 if you're up for making it yourself, david lebovitz has a pretty good recipe: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/04/salted-butter-c/ autopi Mon, 14 May 2012 20:34:32 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848972#7338671 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848920#7338632 It's nice to see this little store doing well still. There was a bit of a buzz when it first opened but has been quiet for a while. I know someone who used to work at the store and was told that the owner is very passionate about her work and is a bit of a perfectionist. I have bought a couple of small birthday cakes (Ferror Rocher flavoured) from them over the past year and loved it both times. Although my fiancee knows how to make macaroons, we stop buy when we have a craving for them and are generally very satisfied. I think Reulo has built up a bit of a reputation with the asian community, not sure how well they will fare at their new location. I think I will check out their new location to lend my support because I hate to see little shops like this fail. Thanks for the update and pic Charles! ragged25 Mon, 14 May 2012 20:22:21 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848920#7338632 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/835594#7338612 I've only ever been for drinks, but I've heard from friends that the dinner at Monk's Kettle was quite impressive. marydee Mon, 14 May 2012 20:14:01 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/835594#7338612 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847576#7338580 I tried the eggs from Eggy Weggs this weekend, and they were amazing. Quite big eggs, and super yellow centres. Easy pick up system too. Here is the website if you want to be added to their distribution list: http://www.eggyweggs.com shocked Mon, 14 May 2012 20:03:31 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847576#7338580 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/687581#7338568 there is a distributor of many Dutch foods in Burlington, called Custan Foods. I did a quick scan of his website, and he has a lot of Speculaas products- not sure if there was a spread in there or not. Here is the link- if he wont sell directly, he will at least be able to tell you where he sells the product you want in to. http://www.custanfoods.com/ Good luck! shocked Mon, 14 May 2012 19:59:00 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/687581#7338568 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846298#7338436 We were there for our first time a few weeks back. Both guys in the group had the burger and both declared it in the top ten that they had ever had. My halibut was good - not great. Have to say that the service that we had was excellent. I like the room too. Small, cozy and PINK! elasticwaistband Mon, 14 May 2012 19:03:24 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846298#7338436 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849163#7338338 If you are after table-side - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/836999 justsayn Mon, 14 May 2012 18:25:37 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849163#7338338 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849040#7338322 Too bad. It's a nice family operation, but well run, so I'm sure they'll be back. jayt90 Mon, 14 May 2012 18:22:24 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849040#7338322 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/843584#7338279 Dinner on Sat night with my bff and his dad. Overall a very good experience and I'm looking forward to my second visit sometime soon. Our reso was at 630 p.m. and the space was about 2/3 full and was jammed but the time we left around 9. The room can get rather loud by the time it is at full capacity but it adds to the buzz of the space. We sat in the first circular booth and it was spacious for 3, would be prefect for four and could squeeze five in for sure. The service for the whole evening was great. My water glass was never empty. I was asked about my beverage either just before or just after I finished. Crumbs were removed between courses. All the staff members were very knowledge and answered all of my questions in a enough detail to be meaningful but not over the top. We started with a dozen oysters a mix of east and west coast varieties. They were fresh, well shucked with little grit and lots of liquor left in the shell and were served with a generous mount of fresh grated horseradish and house made minuet. Great start to the meal for sure. We then shared the duck, bacon and fois sausage. My two dining companions really enjoyed it but for me it was overkill on the bacon flavour and the other items were a little lost in translation. For mains two of us ordered the bone-in strip med rare and the third ordered the Berkshire pork chop. We shared gratin potatoes, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and mushrooms. The steaks were cooked perfectly. They had great favour, a fair amount of fat and good solid grill char on the outside while being prefect med rare on the inside. The only downside for me was that they pre-sliced the steaks. Not my fav thing, but not a deal breaker either. The pork was moist and tender and full of flavour sitting on top of a portion of apple sauce. More of a fall dish for me but very well done with a hit of med pink in the centre of the meat. All of the sides were great. Perfectly cooked, well seasoned, and generous portions. For dessert we shared the house made warm pecan pie with house made vanilla ice cream. Two words - EAT IT! So good. It was the prefect end to a great dinner. Overall we had 10 drinks between the three of us and all of the above food and the bill before tip but including tax was $360. Not in the cheap category but IMO good value for money and an overall solid dining experience. JennaBean Mon, 14 May 2012 18:04:20 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/843584#7338279 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844810#7337870 After eating the entire menu, I feel that this is the Australian version Sing hawker food. Or something. Just not real Sing/Malay hawker food. It's not even close. Please stick with Gourmet Garden, Lion City, Restoran... they're all going to be more authentic and will more closely match your expectations of eating in Singapore and Malaysia. Going to Hawker Bar will disappoint on so many levels (even discounting authenticity). Funny enough, I showed my family - and specifically my aunt/cousin from Singapore - and they couldn't stop making fun of the food (visuals only). But it's true.. you can totally tell. The rendang! It's ...saucy!! And the chicken rice was ... boiled. Sorry. Had to rant. Stopping now. jlunar Mon, 14 May 2012 15:41:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844810#7337870