Guilty Pleasures?

[50firstdatesguy]

Because we can't always drop $$hundreds$$ for a simple meal...

Burgers: Johnny's at VicPark/Sheppard.

Breakfast: Jim's Restaurant, Logan/Queen.

On Yonge just south of Bloor is a Greek/Medeterranian restaurant on the corner, I think it's called Fallafel Plus, that serves great food, their dinner combinations are very hearty. Open late, and the guys that work there are good guys.

Bier Market? Nah.. BEER STATION, Bloor W. just east of Bathurst. Lots of cheap cold beer and they always have the fight network, soccer or some interesting sportscast on one of their numerous flatscreen TV's. Not a bad seat in the house. This place was a summertime staple for me.

Donlands/Danforth - SquareBoy. No one is too good for SquareBoy.

I bet few will agree with me, but I don't care, these are MY guilty pleasures and sometimes all I want is cheap comfort food/drink.

[amycakes22]

TOP guilty pleasures/ comfort food

1) kettle cooked sea salt potato chips (Pres. Choice or Miss Vickie's)
2) Brownie Cheesecake from Dimetrie's
3) Eggs Benny (La Gourmand Yonge and Eg has rated best so far, FANTASTIC!!!)
4) Ice Cream Cake from Dairy Queen !!! (can't believe no one else has mentioned this!!!!!)
5) Toaster Twister bagel and/or Chocolate Buffalo (croissant), What-A-Bagel
6) Big Mac w. fries, dirty but delicious
7) Halibut n' chips, Penrose on Mt. Pleasant
8) Chicken dinner w. LOADS of dill sauce (WAY better than pri pri), Churasco Villa
9) Stouffer's Mac n' Cheese (yes, okay, it's frozen BUT give it a chance and you'll see why)
10) warm fresh focaccia bread with rosemary and sea salt, homemade or Grano

also could easily go on... getting hungry/guilty lol

[acd123]

This was/is a great thread. two years old though. I may have to update my list.

[TOchowgal]

Swiss Chalet fries and gravy.

[AngelSanctuary]

um...hehe

Pho at this place on Midland and Finch, it's my FAVORITE place for pho and it's probably the least authentic...they don't even use the right noodles...
Poutine from NY Fries, I still think they're the best out of all the ones I've had
Beef Noodle Soup from this bubble tea place called Destiny's...it closed down now though but I thought they had the best ones...and well, THEY SELL BUBBLETEA...
McDonald's fries and apple pie, I don't even think the pie I made is as good and I think mines are the best always!

[hippotatomus]

1. Pizza Pizza, sweet chili thai sauce, pineapples, steak, sundried tomatoes, provolone cheese, well done, thick crust, plus garlic cream dipping. divine!! Me and SO can both polish off a large pizza easy.

2. Mcdonalds - Hot Fudge Sundae.. I don't think I"ll ever see the day I stop getting intense cravings for this sundae.

3. Kokyo - Salmon Sushi Pizza, Johnny's Special Roll

4. St. Louis - sweet asian bbq wings and an extra box of fries

5. Lucky Charms

[tjr]

Are we talking about guilty as in bad, but we still like it? Or guilty as in our bodies are probably not thanking us after eating it? I'd never feel guilty about eating something, but I guess these would be mine:

Anything served at a casse-croûte in Montreal. Cart ramen after a rough night in Tokyo. 7/11 tonkatsu sandwiches. St, Hubert mille-feuilles. Pita deep-fried and tossed in honey and cinnamon at the Souvlaki Hut. Fruit cups with syrup. Granola bars (which I can now finally eat)! Flake bars in England. I'd say donuts as well, but I haven't found anywhere I was able to eat one (peanut/nut allergies) in a decade. Chu-hi. All-you-can eat yakitori in Sapporo. Miscellaneous meat yakiniku. Pillsbury cinnamon rolls/grands.

[escoffier]

Onion rings n' chicken wings out of the oven at home
Cheap and cheerful Chinese at Lucky Dragon
Good and greasy burger at the UFO Diner
Poutine made at home - bring on the cheese!
Cheezies
Burritos from Big Fat Burrito
Doubles from Patty King
Whopper Wednesdays - need I say more?
Medium Veal with extra sauce and cheese
Cassoulet

[courgette]

Except for the gravy-guzzlers noted above, I say ditto, ditto, ditto.

Oh, and the Goof chicken balls with the sweet and sour sauce over the sodium starch otherwise called fried rice.

And, one more artery-clogging addition: chicharon (basically, deep-fried fat covered in msg) from one of those Latin American markets at Kensington market.

[JohnnyCake]

I'm glad someone mentioned Red Lobster - went there 2 weeks ago for the all-you-can-eat shrimp. I was like Homer SImpson! I won't tell you how many refills, cos, that would be just wrong. OTher pleasures:

-sour cream glazed Timbits (still warm, heavenly)
-deep fried panzos from a bakery around the corner - Commisso Bros and Racco - you won't find a better, more filling one for under $4 anywhere!
-zesty cheese doritos (reminds me of my youth)
-the onion rings at Dairy Freeze (St. Clair and Caledonia, just west of Old Weston Rd.) THe very best I have ever had
-I could eat tzatziki right from the tub, though i would never admit to doing so
-Swiss Chalet fries and sauce (beef fat makes all the difference)
-I used to love Jumbo burger (Dundas and St Clair area, if I recall)...haven't been in eons

Getting hungry...
-

[red dragon]

LOL, everyone is making me hungry!

Any buffet is a guilty pleasure for me, especially Hot House Cafe and all the naan that I can't stop eating at Indian buffets.

*Hot dog, fries with gravy, soft serve ice-cream in a waffle cone at Costco's
*Sour cream & onion popcorn
*Doritos chips and any flavor of Lay's
*Chocolate cake from Dufflet or La Rocca
*Bacon/cheeseburger & fries at Wendy's
*Whopper from Burger King
*Any donut from Tim Horton's
*Samosas, samosas, samosas

I could go on and on .....

[halugii]

butterfinger creme pies from 711!!

[caitlink]

Cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster
Pho with lots of hot sauce
NY Fries with Gravy
'Water Cooked' Beef - the beef dish you get at Schezuan restaurants that comes bathed in red chili oil - I like to take it home and eat it with instant noodle
Spicy fried chicken from Popeye's

[Mintycake]

Great thread!

Guilty pleasures:

1) pierogies (cheese and potato) with lots of onions and sour cream
2) A&W onion rings.
3) Billy Miner pie at the Keg
4) Presidents Choice White Mac N Cheese, followed closely by
5) Kraft Dinner (the original)
6) Pecan tarts from the Metro Hall farmers market (runny! hallelujia!)
7) Blarney Chips from Fionn McCools (best when slightly drunk)
8) Fried taro balls at dim sum
9) ridged chips with onion dip
10) Peanut butter chocolate Ice cream in a waffle cone from The Film Buff

[mummy2Luna]

I am a huge fan of 'radioactive red sauce', the thick sweet 'n sour stuff you can find at any Canadianized Chinese place (like Ho Lee Chow or Mandarin).

[mummy2Luna]

I also forgot my two favourites from my hometown, Sarnia...
There's a little ice cream shop a stone's throw from Lake Huron called Ice Cream Galore. They make their own waffle cones with a bit of marshmallow at the bottom of the cone so your ice cream doesn't leak, which is genius. A waffle cone stuffed to the brim with a rich, nutty Heavenly Hash is to die for. And further down the street is the Bluewater Bridge, under which the locals have affectionately dubbed 'Bridge Fries:' a handful of chip trucks serving hot, thick-cut fries. Albert's was the best, but they're (sadly) gone and terribly missed. So delicious!

[Pincus]

I had another one of mine the other night. Perogis, mashed potatoes with gravy and a side salad at Futures Cafe on Bloor and Brunswick. 90% carbs and fat, but so tasty.

[illy]

mmmmm...a fried (MUST be fried) mushroom panzerotto delivered from Pizzaville. soooo surprisingly delicious.

[mia_wallace]

I had to resurrect this to add on a particularly vile guilty pleasure:
the breakfast sandwich at tim horton's with sausage, egg and cheese on a biscuit. i just had one and am both ashamed and thrilled!

[grandgourmand]

Good call on reviving the thread.

I've developed a guilty pleasure of my own...a McD's cheeseburger "dressed like a Mac"...an extra 30c, but oh my, it's worth it.

[JamieK]

I am ashamed to admit that I'm partial to the bacon breakfast sandwich at Tims, however, I get it on a bagel, less greasy.

[Full tummy]

You are so right, JamieK!!! After I ate one on the biscuit, I just had that oozy feeling in my stomach, and it was in no way a "light" biscuit, in any sense. I checked out the nutritional information, and boy was it scary.

I still prefer the Egg McMuffin, and the English muffin is a whole lot lighter. I usually get mine with two eggs, tho...

[mia_wallace]

no! the stomachache is part of the charm of the biscuit! Biscuits are one of my favourite things-- add Popeye's Chicken and their greasy version to this list, actually.

I noticed biscuits on the menu at Cluck Grunt & Low, but was too timid to order them!

[wasabi_girl]

I really miss the fresh hot Krispy Kreme donuts we use to get in the city. When they first opened in Missisauga, I was silly enough to wait in line for three and a half hours during winter to get my KK donut. Now I have to drive all the way to Buffalo to get my fix.

As for my savoury guilty pleasure, it has to be New York fries with lots of salt, hot gravy and mayo...YUM!

[callitasicit]

Why do you drive all the way to Buffalo when there is one in Mississauga?

[chocabot]

there's also one at scarborough town centre

[ghetto_scarlem]

Town Centre one closed a LONG time ago.

[KevinB]

I think all the Ontario locations are closed, if I recall correctly what I read in the biz papers. I live in Richmond Hill, and there was a standalone KK at the Hillcrest Mall. When it first opened, the line ups were at least an hour long, and they had to hire rent-a-cops to control the drive-through lines. But, as great as hot glazed is when you only eat them once or twice a year, if you're eating them every week, you get pretty tired of them (and I think there's a primitive self-defense mechanism in the brain that says "Hey, not really all that good for you, lard-butt"). And all the other KK doughnuts were not very good.

We'll still probably pick up the glazed when we go to Buffalo on ski or shopping trips, but I can't ever see eating them day after day.

[NovoCuisine]

Mississauga is definitely still open. Drove by it a couple weeks ago.

I remember when they opened a bunch in the PATH. They seemed to disappear as quick as they came.

[16crab]

Just wanted to update that Mississauga is STILL open. Bought 2 dozen there on April 30, 2009.

[KevinB]

It's gone now, but one of the guilty pleasures of my youth was the "Canary Restaurant" in Toronto's deepest industrial wasteland (just south of Eastern Ave at Cherry, IIRC). It was the quintessential "greasy spoon" (and played one in a number of movies and TV shows). I'd go in for hang-over breakfasts while at U of T; eggs over easy perfectly done (the yolk still runs), bacon in the sweet spot between too limp and too crisp, wheat toast that wasn't burnt, and best of all, real honest to goodness home fries made from boiled potatoes fried up with onions in a mix of oil and butter. My only complaint was the coffee was kind of watery, but that let me drink five or six cups without going into caffeine overload. And when you asked for HP Sauce, the waitress would just say "Sure, hon", and slide a bottle over.

Lord, I miss it...

[sugarcube]

When i didn't have access to an oven on my work term I became a Cinnabon regular.. $15 every single week for their six pack Cinna-pecan buns. I went so often the staff would even need to take my order!

I adore Johnny's Hamburgers on Vicpark and Sheppard.. and those fries... yuuummmm indeed.. and with Chuck E. Cheese right beside.. what more could you ask for? lol

Sodium induced poutine from Harvey's: my first one ever was when i was in Grade 7, and I thought to myself "what is this glorious creation?!" haha

Beavertailsss!!!! oh how i wish there were more locations in Toronto.

A pack of 20 timbits + one wendy's frosty= one happie gal dunking lil' bits into creamy heaven.... for a switchup, it would be salty fries instead

Pizza Hut, thick crust, meat lovers with extra cheese.. need I say more?

Funnel Cakes from Canada's Wonderland.. ah memories

Famous Players Nachos.. just cuz a movie wouldn't be complete without munchies

CNE's TinyTom donuts!!!

In Scarborough there is a bakery which makes Pineapple Buns (boa-loa-bow)- called that because the top looks like the exterior of a pineapple- with fresh whipped cream (think of it as a pimped out whipped cream sandwich... oh i gobbled so many up in my elementary school days

An msg favourite: instant noodles (i always at the red packages, dunno what they were called in english but i know them as 'gong-ji-mean'

McDonald's chicken mcnuggets... i grew up on those babies

[Little T]

Where's the pineapple buns in Scarboro, Woodside mall? I always wonder about the product names, i would think it confuses/misleads people.

[sugarcube]

they have them at woodside mall, but the ones with fresh cream that i adore are on glen watford drive and sheppard. If I remember correctly, it is inside the large mall (dragon centre shopping mall) right beside the fast food digs.

[Little T]

Will remember next i go, thanks!

[singe]

Not using a knife to spread a delicate, lady-like amount of butter onto a cracker, but rather, employing the plunge-and-drag method...right through the block of room temp. butter. ;-) And Eccles cakes, and those sweet black bean deep-fried thingies from a Chinese bakery, southern-fried chicken.......

[peppermint pate]

I like your style, singe - I recently did the pluge and drag method with a fresh, warm out of the oven "everything" bagel from Bagel House. So delish. And I love eccles cakes - the ones at Brick Street Bakery are the closest I've had to the ones in England.

[Full tummy]

Have you tried the Bagel House pretzels? They are also one of my guilty pleasures.

[peppermint pate]

Never tried them - are these like New York city street vendor pretzels? I'll grab one next time I'm there. Thanks.

[Full tummy]

Never eaten one of those.

These pretzels are not like the classic doughy German pretzel (lighter colour, different dough), and they're not like those pretzel wannabes found in malls in the US. They're like a bagel, just thinner, shaped like a pretzel, and salted, plus they've got the smokey taste characteristic of baked goods from The Bagel House's wood-burning oven. Yum!

[NovoCuisine]

Ha, I'm glad this was revived.. never saw it the first time around.

- fries w/ mayo and a pint for lunch at the Overdraught.. so bad.
- at least a half dozen shrimp/cod croquettes when i stop in at Gina's after work.. always a dinner spoiler
- sometimes i'll buy a loaf of Ace Bakery's olive bread and eat damn near the whole thing with some salted butter as a meal.
- A&W onion rings. come on.. they're fantastic.

[Pincus]

Oh yes, and the omelette breakfast at the Sunset Grill. Probably 7000 calories with 90g of fat, but so tasty. Swiss cheese, mushrooms and spinach in the omelette, home fries, and rye toast with no butter. I kid myself the no butter makes a difference...

[pescatarian]

That's funny. I always get my rye toast with no butter with my fry-up too.

[zainab13]

Surprised no one has mentioned Tim Horton's...my guilty pleasure is their chocolate croissant. I get them to warm it up in the microwave, and mmmmmmm.....delicious. I could also easily down a blueberry fritter and maple dip donuts back to back!

I second the eggplant sandwich at Mustachio's, and also...grilled cheese with fries, pretty much anywhere.

Oh and Smartfood popcorn. I try not to think about the calories count as I'm scarfing down the entire bag :)

[JamieK]

totally with you on the Smartfood, I swear there's some addictive ingredient in that cheese stuff. I can eat a whole bag no problem.

I'm also addicted to the green sauce you get with samosas at the Sultan of Samosas. The other day, I couldn't believe it myself, I found myself dipping the Smartfood popcorn into the green spicy sauce. It was kinda messy but good. All washed down with some cold Creemore, of course.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Yes, indeed "Crackfood" is my main guilty pleasure problem. And a whole tub of Hagen Daaz strawberry ice cream (but I don't typically feel guilty about that!)

[acd123]

Me too. Whenever we open a bag of Smartfood, we polish it off in no time.

We usually reserve our Smartfood binges for the cottage, where we usually get our junk food fix. Yes, sometimes even a stop at McDonalds along the way (but don't tell anyone).

[zoohort2]

My mother ate a whole bag of Smartfood one day and then had a stroke! True story...but she lived to tell about it!

[Full tummy]

Yes to the Haagen Dasz strawberry ice cream.
And also HD Caramel Cone Explosion.
Tim Horton's cookies (if freshly made, but gosh they're so greasy)
McDonald's Egg McMuffin (a favourite since childhood)
Those crazy fake whipped cream filled chocolate glazed doughnuts that come in plastic packages of two (another addiction from childhood)
Baskin Robbins peanut butter & chocolate ice cream
Wunderbar (ya, I have a thing for pb & c)
Loukoumades from Athens Pastries
Rahier's square puff pastries filled with pastry cream (I don't know what they're called)
Brick Street Bakery's Eccles cakes
Cinnabon (Oh ya!)
KFC thighs (Sorry, guys!)
South Street Burger vanilla milkshakes
Real McCoy burger and fries with gravy
Bacon and lots of it
Breakfast sausages (the greasier the better).

I guess that's why I'm Full tummy.

[Otonabee]

Oh god, I know the doughnuts of which you speak... I think they only made them in the 80s and they are still selling them but gads.. The creme in them must have crack it it or something...

Others
Fresh beignets from Cajun Corner followed by a cappuccino from Mercury
Popeyes fried chicken

[Full tummy]

Ha ha! I think that cream could hold up forever. It's only the pastry that goes bad!!

[abigllama]

That blessed green sauce at Sultan of Samosas rocks. I never broke down but came close to drinking it once.

[Bordeaux Girl]

SE Asian: At Lion City Restaurant in Mississauga - Char Kway Teow (Seared pan fried greasy flat rice noodles with soya sauce, egg and chinese sausage, sprouts, and this description doesn't do it justice), and their Laksa and Chicken Rice.

Meidium hot Chicken schnitzel style Sandwich with lots of soft cooked onions and mushrooms from California Sandwiches.

French fries from Costco on the way out - they do it so well, eat your heart out McDonald's.

I know this is supposed to be about cheap comfort food, but I have to mention raw oysters at Rodneys, a guilty pleasure cause they're so damned expensive for what you're getting, but oh so good as you slurp them down from the half shell.

[pearlD]

I'll admit to going out at least once a year for OYSTERS! As many as my belly can hold...cost no object(well perhaps it is, since I only do it once a year! Generally, pure and unadorned except for a squeeze of fresh lemon. (minimum 3 dozen ..different kinds all prices!
My other not so guilty treat...'New York Fries' at Dufferin Mall whenever I find myself at the Mall (more often than I care to admit...the Fries, not the mall!)

[drohanbiz]

Great topic!
1) Best Pizza/Calzone - Gerrard's Pizza on the Danforth
2) Best Sandwich - California Sandwiches - the original one on Claremont
3) Best burger - Apache Burger on Dundas West
4) Best draught beer - Allen's on the Danforth
5) Best Steak - Carman's
6) Best Breakfast - The Senator
7) Best dessert - as much as I hate to admit it - Rahier
8) Best special occasion dinner - Bymark
9) Best Chinese - Szechuan Szechuan in First Cdn. Place
10) Best Schnitzel - Country Style Hungarian restaurant on Bloor St. W.

That's my 2 cents!
Mmmm Food....!

[Little T]

May i ask what's good at Szechuan? Going there for lunch later this week, though not my pick. Crispy chicken or ginger beef good?

[theslowcooker]

I just had an Apache burger for lunch- love that place!

[fruglescot]

My Secret spot revealed
I'm new on this site and I'm frugal. I'm betting $$$ to donuts that none of you eatos
have heard of this place. It's located on Eastern Ave. at Carlaw (SW corner) I think the name is Carol's. For absolutely the most inexpensive meal in town...bar none.

My last visit I ordered A hot turkey sandwich (?$2.50?), endless coffee ($.50,) a vanilla shake ($1.00), and home made cherry pie with a scope of ice cream ($1.25) plus two toasted chicken salad sandwiches to go ($??). Bill.... under $10.00 incldng tip.. not joking!
Be forewarned not a fancy spot, limited street parking, 3 bar stools and 2 or 3 small booths slow service as one pleasant young woman does everything including the baking- limited hours of operation (I have only been there days)
Note: the place looks like a throwback to the 50's-60's The menu is on the wall in front of the counter with all the timeless prices. The coffee is made the old fashioned way by inserting an aluminum container in the glass pot and filtered with a glass rod.
The first time I was in there I thought they might be shooting a movie and the menu was just a movie prop (many movie studios just east of there),but no it's for real. The food is good like homemade.
Of course now that I've revealed this little gem I probably will never be able to get a seat in there. Tell the lady george sent you.

[JamieK]

Nice description. I think you're referring to Gale's Snack Bar. There have been quite a few mentions about Gale's on this board before, including this one...
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/389250

[50firstdatesguy]

fruglescot you've hit upon a Leslieville icon!! That definitely sounds like Gale's you're referring to.

I don't think you'll have to worry about finding a seat though. Judging from the responses of the foodies in the thread JamieK posted above, it sounds like quite a few local residents are under the assumption that unless it's nouveau-rustic like some of the nascent antique shops and coffee houses in the area it is automatically filled with 'crackheads'. I think your secret is safe from the squeamish new hipsters of Leslieville my friend.

[fruglescot]

Yes it is Gale's as a matter of fact. I'd forgotten.
I hope you are right 50firstdatesguy (what's the story behind that name?) I don't particularly like lineups.
Picture compliments of another Chowhound- Moorehound

[mummy2Luna]

I love Gale's. I love that it's stuck in a time warp.

[KevinB]

As soon as I saw the topic, I thought "Johnny's"! I know it's a love 'em/hate 'em type of place, but there's just something so elemental about it. Of course, I used to work across the street at a gas station (it's a PizzaPizza now), and I must have had over 1,000 J-burgs in my life, so I've been indoctrinated. My best friend used to work there with me, and though he lives in Maine now, whenever he comes back to T.O., we try to get there.

[50firstdatesguy]

KevinB glad to see there's another diehard Johnny's fan in here. You're absolutely right, it's the entire place. Everything from the picnic tables outside to the big orange sign to the food itself.

My dad used to work around there and my grandmother lived in the area, that intersection hasn't changed much over the years aside from the Pizza Pizza let's hope it stays that way for the sake of Johnny's!

[fruglescot]

They could lose the Pizza Pizza on the SW corner and it wouldn't hurt my feelings.

[squingy]

- Allstar burger @ Goldenstar

- Roast pork or roast duck w' crispy skin on steam rice @ Sam May chinese bbq

- chicken skin chicharon (heart attack in a box) @ filipino store beside Remely's
restaurant on Sheppard ave east.

- deep fried apple pie from Burger King

- Natas @ Portuguese Canadian Bakery, 1309a dundas west. ( I once bought 3
dozen of these and proceeded to devour them over a weekend).

- As well as drinking Swiss Chalet sauce, I also drink KFC gravy as well.

[sgogo]

Good Host iced tea - only found in and to the west of Thunder Bay, unfortunately.
A&W onion rings
A loaded homeburger from Burger Shack (but not the fries, they leave one's mouth unpleasantly coated with...trans fat, I assume?)
The caesar salad at Canyon Creek - soooooo much garlic

And finally, I know I'm risking a lot here, but....
Mandarin. Once in a while, it's just what I need. I could go there just for peel and eat shrimp and their tiny Nanaimo bars.

[hungryhippotoronto]

Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Croissants - Clafouti (Queen & Strachan)
Funnel Cake with whipped cream & strawberries- Canada's Wonderland
Chicken Shwarma - A La Turque (Church & Wellesley)
Breaded Chicken & Eggplant Sandwich with Hot Peppers - Moustachio (St Lawrence Market)
Dolsot Beef Bibimbap - Ho Su Bistro (Queen & John)
Fish & Chips - Chippy's (Queen & Strachan)
Satay Ph - Pho 88

[merlot143]

I am so totally with you on the Funnel Cake at Wonderland. When I was a kid, I craved them, but they were too expensive. Then I bought one as an adult. The first few bites were heavenly, then my colon seized up because the adult stomach wasn't made to absorb all that fried dough :( And this was minus the whipped cream.

[Yum2MyTum]

Breakfast on a bun - Carousel Bakery in the South St. Lawrence Market
Saag paneer - Mount Everest Restaurant
Death by Chocolate cake - Pauline's Pastries
Dol Sot Bibmbab - Joon's in Koreatown
Chicken Pho - The (now departed) Miss Saigon in Chinatown
Coconut Cream Pie - Scaramouche (which incites feelings of guilt because of the caloric as well as financial implications...)

[acd123]

Miss Saigon closed??? If yes, too bad. I thought their pho was very good.

[LTL]

Pho Phuong at Dundas St. W & Brock Ave. is my new go-to place for pho!

[Yum2MyTum]

I don't think it's closed, but the ownership changed and I believe the name changed along with it. There's still a pho shop in there but I did not enjoy it as much as the original.

[Dr Butcher]

A few of my stand bys:

Chicken Shawarma- Ibrahim's at Warden/Wayne

Jerk Pork Sandwich- Nun Such Jerk at Lawrence/Kennedy

Roti- Roti Hut at Mccowan/Pitfield

Empanada (Filipino Style)- Port Union Bakery Port Union/Lawson Rd

Boston Cream Donut- Port Union Bakery

Burger (Homeburgers)- Shamrock Burger at Old Kingston Rd/Lawson Creek overpass

Banh Mi- Rose Cafe at Broadview/Gerrard

Hakka- Lin Garden at Sheppard/Pharmacy

Fish 'n Chips- Highland Fish and Chips Ellesmere/Conlins

Pita- Pita Pita Bakery at Dufferin/Martin Ross

Thai- Red House Thai at Whites Rd/Kingston Rd

Huge meal reasonably priced- Me Va Me at Bathurst/Steeles

[philly cheeze]

grampa burgers @ A & W
funnel cakes @ Wonderland
Vesta Lunch
Fast Eddie's

[KevinB]

Oh, man.. how could I have forgotten? The toasted Hollywood (BLT with chicken salad) with extra coleslaw instead of fries at the Vesta. Sloppy, messy, and delicious! Add in the weird ambiance, and it's the bomb!

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, we have a narrow and specific mission on this board- to share tips on great chow that's unique to Ontario. We've removed some off topic posts that weren't specific to the Ontario food scene.

If you'd like to discuss your guilty food pleasures in general, please start a new thread on the General Chowhounding Topics board (or the Chains board if all your guilty pleasures are found at franchised restaurants). Thanks for your help in keeping this board focused and on-topic.

[Gary]

New York Fries poutine at one of the Eaton Centre food courts.

[Pincus]

Oh heck, I forgot pizza.

A slice from King Slice. So big and so delicious.

[Mushka]

Tiny Tom donuts at the EX fully loaded with icing sugar.
St. Urbain bagels at St. Lawrence Market hot out of the oven
Speaking of The Market, how about the rare roast beef I get at the deli counter (sorry, can't remember which one). To heck with vegetarians. I could eat half a kilo on it's own.

[snackboy]

Hey Guys,

I love the thread . . . Here's my list...Be afraid ....be very afraid!!!

1. Belly Buster Subs (Bacon Combo w/ extra bacon)
2 Corndogs @ The EX (they are the only reason I go to the EX)
3. Sneaky Dees... King's Crown Nachos (or anything else there)
4. Street Meat from the Ryerson Dog Stand
5. Campbell's mushroom soup with a whole sleeve of saltine crackers... It's
mushy good!!!
6. Chicken Fried Steak (I'm always looking for a good one...but somehow a bad one
satisfies the craving as well)
7. Swiss Chalet Fries with 2 sauces ...1 to dip and 1 to drink.... (I'm scaring myself!)
8. Chicken Corn Chowder out of the can....

SB

SB

[Recyclor]

nice snackboy....yes to those giant grease torpedo pogo's at the EX, Sneaky Disease and naturally to cold food in tin cans...

[peppermint pate]

Re: #7 - years ago, a girlfriend of mine had been feeling like she had little in common with the guy she had been seeing. The final straw came one evening, after finishing their Swiss Chalet dinners, when the soon to be ex put the little sauce container to his mouth and drank the rest of his sauce. He was "toast" within a few days...

[snackboy]

I always look around to make sure nobody is looking before sipping!!...oh the horror!!

SB

[shana]

god I drink my sauce - luckily for me the guy I was dating didn't mind and doesn't like the sauce so I always get his as an extra - I just had to marry him.

[Yongeman]

Oh yeah, snackboy--the Bacon Combo Sub at BellyBusters (Yonge and Yonge Blvd.)--killer!

[snackboy]

it's the best!!! . . . especially at 3 AM

[50firstdatesguy]

Every food lover I know has at some point in time enjoyed Chalet sauce as a beverage or at least polished off the sauce after their meal. Nothing wrong with that!

snackboy and other CNE/EX foodies, don't forget Conklin mini donuts and Buffalo Bison burgers in the Food building :D I also make sure to get the 99cent cup o' spaghetti every year, just because it's 99cents!

[Yongeman]

I wouldn't turn down most of the suggestions that I've read on this great thread, although I do have a problem with Pizza Pizza (note: once my family challenged me to a blind taste test of 6 different pizza slices, and I ranked Pizza Pizza in 2nd place--I've never lived it down).

The shrimp patties (rissois?) and codfish croquettes that I buy every time I go into a Portuguese bakery for bread.
Banh Mi from Rose Cafe or Nguyen Huong.
Greasy lamb shawarmas from Farhat.
Homemade peanut butter cookies.

[LemonLauren]

No pleasure should be guilty. But if you have to feel guilty, it might as well be about one of these things....

Rocky Rocher, Carrot Cake and Lemon Meringue pie flavours from Hollywood Gelato
everything but especially Maria and Spicy Chocolate from Il gelatiere
any colourful little fruit tart from Rahier
Tiny Tim donuts at the EX Food Building
fries at Swiss Chalet (don't ask me why they are just my favourite)
lemon squares at the Sun Room in Stratford ON (searching for TO"s best lemon squares still)
date squares from the North market at St. Lawrence
sugar twists and scones from Don's Bakery up north in Bala
the fruitiest, girliest cocktails possible at Insomnia or Eat My Martini
cheap cheap cheap personal pitchers of mixed drinks at Bistro 422 at bathurst/college
appetizer platters at the Maddy (shame, shame)
oatmeal cookies and butter tarts - still searching, as nothing beats my mum's

phew, i need a workout!

[SherylKirby]

"fries at Swiss Chalet (don't ask me why they are just my favourite)"

Probably because Swiss still uses beef fat for their fries. Every other place has phased it out.

[cocolou]

Yes Sheryl: beef fat is the trick. Also: double dipping, if I may say (!). The problem is to find out when they change the oil...

[abigllama]

I want to second the Pizza Pizza slice at events. At Wakestock a couple years ago a friend of mine sort of dared me to get a Pizza Pizza slice and promised it would be good. Took the dare on and it was really good. We decided that because of the turnover of pizza being so high there, you get pizza that's almost fresh out of the oven. Another friend tried to say that it was the slow heat lamp rotation that made them better, but we didn't buy into that!

[Delish]

Churrasco Chicken - Pirri Pirri or Sardinha-Rui Dos Frangos
Zembaba for Ethiopian - particularly the Special Roman Cha Cha Tibs (so, so good)
Green Curry Chicken from just about anywhere
Bitondo's panzerotti or pepperoni slice
Crispy Fish and Spaghetti or lasagna (wed. only) from Caffe Brasiliano
California Sandwiches chicken sandwich (or San Francesco in a pinch)
Maroli for Malabar chicken
Pho My Duyen for kickass Vietnamese (I feel a spicy beef hue noodle soup craving comeing on...)
corn dog at the ex

[JamieK]

Aussie fries and beer at the Duke of York
nachos and beer at the Duke, Quigley's or any pub
potato & cheese samosas from the Sultan and beer
fish & chips from Olde York or Duckworths and beer
Bona pizza and red wine
spicy hot sausages from Mueller's in Midland and beer
coney fries and beer at the Mill restaurant in Creemore
poutine and beer at Rebel House

[cheesymama]

Swiss Chalet with extra sauce please!
Ruffles chips with Philadelphia onion dip
deep fried mars bar at the ex (thank god it's only once a year)
Rahier's huit pastry, pastry cream filled goodness

[acd123]

I don't know where to begin. The list includes (but is definitely not limited to):

New York Fries with malt vinegar, gravy and/or cheese sauce

Hot veal sandwich from Vinny's, California, or San Francesco (in order to preference)

Home Banquet from Burger Shack with fries and a side of gravy

Homemade traditional Swiss fondue with Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller

Big Mac (only on the way to the cottage); Wendy's crispy chicken

Eggs Benny from pretty much anywhere but Swan has a good one

Pizza from Marcello's, La Luciolla or Banfi with pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions.

Schawarma from King Falafel and Sarah's

Pork ribs (with curry hot sauce at home) from the Ukrainian place in the basement of SLM

I also could go on and on and on.

[Googs]

The nice Ukranian lady's goods are one of my guilty pleasures as well. Sooo delicious, soooo high cal. You just added another item to the list of things I must eat there. Damn you. Either that or perhaps I should just start following you around.

[cocolou]

You are right, cheesymama : not enough sauce ! What can we do to make them understand we want your chick and fried to swim in it?

[czthemmnt]

In no particular order:

Burger King Whopper with Cheese
Patachou croissant with hot chocolate
Shrimp Rolls at Ginger on Church Street
Veal sandwich with hot peppers at California Sandwich
Tea scones to go from King Eddy or Windsor Arms

[deelicious]

Bitondos calzone is still the richest cheesiest tastiest calzone anywhere. They are more than just a calzone. But such a sin!

[Kagemusha]

Saunder's Bakery in Rockwood, ON, just outside Guelph. Home of Old School sugar and jelly donuts that share absolutely no DNA with today's extruded, doughy globs of industrial deep-fried ooze.

[Fleming]

Pizza Pizza with garlic dipping sauce, sushi aji sai combo from Aji Sai (was Matsu combo #2 from New Generation Sushi but we moved), tofu pho from Ginger at Yonge and Bloor.

Also back in the old 'hood, chocolate peanut butter ice cream from Greg's. If they didn't have it, the default was always sweet cream.

During the summer on the drive up north, definitely McChicken Grill with fries from McD's and a strawberry sundae. Yum.

[peppermint pate]

Rahier pain au chocolat and a latte (ideally from Manic)...halibut burrito from Burrito Boyz...waffles with fresh fruit and honeyed ricotta from Bar Italia (used to be better, though)...and er, um, uh, Swiss Chalet. Plenty more where those came from but that's a good start...

[cord]

- sugared jam donut and coffee at dimpflmeier bakery in etobicoke
- halibut or bean burrito from burrito boyz
- homemade brownie at remarkable bean in the beaches
- chicken cutlet sandwich at california sandwich
i could go on, but I'll stop :)

[Kagemusha]

Lunch(available only Wed-Sat) at Brandt Meats warehouse counter in Mississauga.German HDL done right with hyper-fresh wurst, schnitzel,salads, spud pancakes, kraut, and all the trimmings. Not everyday fare but when you need it, well...

[abigllama]

Fried Mac N Cheese bites at Zelda's- Artery clogging bliss

Nachos with chicken and extra cheese at Hard Rock Cafe - gooey overpriced goodness!

Tres Tacos at Sneeky Dee's - They bake the tacos with a bunch of cheese. The common theme here so far is gooey cheese!

Bread Pudding at Swan - My fave dessert in all of Toronto.